Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Q4 and FY 2024 earnings call comes on the heels of the company’s Q4 and FY 2024 Update Letter, which was released after the closing bell on January 29, 2025.
Tesla’s Q4 2024 results:
- Earnings Per Share (GAAP): $0.66 per share
- Earnings Per Share (Non-GAAP): $0.73 per share
- Operating Income: $7.1 billion GAAP; $7.1 billion GAAP net income in 2024; $2.3 billion in Q4 including $0.6 billion mark-to-market gain on digital assets.
- Total Revenues: $25.7 billion
- Total Automotive Revenues: $19.80 billion
Q4 & FY 2024 Earnings Call at 4:30pm CT today https://t.co/uFCg69a6tN— Tesla (@Tesla) January 29, 2025
The following are live updates from Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2024 earnings call. I will be updating this article in real-time, so please keep refreshing the page to view the latest updates on this story. The first entry starts at the bottom of the page.
17:41 CT – And that closes Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2024 earnings call! Thanks so much for joining us, and see you next quarter!
17:40 CT – Dan Levy of Barclays asks about Trump’s anti-EV mandate and Elon Musk’s view on it. The CEO noted that at this point, sustainable transport is inevitable. “At this point I think sustainable transport is inevitable. You can’t stop the advent of electric cars. It’s gonna happen. The only thing holding back electric cars is range, and that is a solved problem,” Musk said.
17:37 CT – Pierre Ferragu of New Street Research asked about Tesla’s plans to deploy robotaxis on June. He wonders if he can drive down to Texas in June to test it. Musk said sure, and at the time, Tesla would be using its own fleet for its initial autonomous ride-hailing program. Cars won’t be from individual owners.
Musk also predicts that Tesla owners will be able to add car their cars to the robotaxi fleet by next year.
Tesla is also working toward FSD Unsupervised which will allow people to check their emails, texts, etc., while the vehicle is in motion, but the company is very cautious. Tesla has seen that people are turning off FSD Unsupervised to check their texts.
17:30 CT – Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley asked if Elon Musk still does not believe in Lidar. Elon Musk says he still does not. “Obviously, humans drive without shooting lasers out of their eyes,” Musk joked. He also explained that he is not anti-Lidar per se. He’s just anti-Lidar when it comes to autonomous cars.
17:25 CT – As for FSD in China, Musk noted that training videos in China cannot be exported out. Tesla figuring out how to train FSD Unsupervised in China. One of the challenges is bus lanes, which are very complex in China.
“Hopefully, we can have Unsupervised FSD in other countries next year,” Musk said.
17:18 CT – Analyst questions start with Bernstein. He asks Elon Musk about what he is doing to push Tesla’s management team to accelerate the company’s programs. Musk noted that Tesla is working on perfecting real-world AI. “I spend a lot of time with the Tesla AI team and the Tesla Optimus team,” he said.
Musk noted that there are many challenges with Optimus and vehicle autonomy, but the pieces are there. He predicts Europe will be a challenge for FSD Unsupervised. FSD Unsupervised is expected to be presented to the EU in the Netherlands in May, with a release probably next year.
17:15 CT – A question about HW3 vehicles was asked. Tesla noted that the company is not giving up on HW3. Tesla is still working on HW3 but updates will trail HW4 releases.
“We are going to have to upgrade Hardware 3 for people who bought FSD. That’s the honest answer. It’s going to be painful and difficult but that’s what we’re going to have to do,” Musk admitted.
Another question was asked if Tesla has given up on Solar Roof. Tesla noted that it has not. Musk noted that Tesla has found growth by distributing Solar Roof to the roofing industry.
17:14 CT – Another question is asked, this time about the Tesla Semi and how it will affect revenue and scale. Tesla noted that preparations for production are ongoing, and that production is expected to start late this year from Reno. He also thinks the Semi will be incredibly valuable with FSD Unsupervised.
Musk noted that the United States actually has a shortage of truck drivers. And truck drivers are human, so they get tired. “I have a lot of respect for truck drivers, because it’s a tough job,” Musk said.
He noted that more people are leaving trucking than those entering it. With this in mind, autonomy is extremely important. “It’s a several billion-a-year opportunity,” Musk said. That said, the CEO also noted that “all of this is gonna pale in comparison to Optimus.”
17:10 CT – Musk reiterated that Optimus will be used at Tesla factories first, doing tedious tasks that no one wants to do.
Optimus production Version 2–maybe starting mid-next year–will be designed for 10,000 units a month vs 1,000 units a month. Version 3 is for 100,000 units per month, and with Version 2, Optimus robots may be delivered to other companies.
“Demand will not be a problem, even at a high price,” Musk said. He also noted that at one million units per year, Optimus’ production costs will be around or less than $20,000.
17:04 CT – Another investor question asked if Optimus is designed locked. Musk noted that Optimus is not design-locked at all. However, the CEO noted that “it is rapidly evolving in a good direction.” Musk also noted that other companies are missing real-world AI and manufacturing capabilities.
17:03 CT – The next investor question asked if other carmakers are interested in licensing FSD. Elon Musk confirmed that yes, they are. “What we’re seeing is at this point is significant interest in licensing FSD,” the CEO noted. But before FSD is licensed, Tesla has to reach unsupervised FSD first.
17:01 CT – Investor questions begin. The first is about unsupervised FSD’s release. Musk noted that he believes unsupervised FSD in California and Texas this year, with many more regions at the end of 2025.
“We’re looking for a safety level that is significantly safer than a human driver,” Musk said. “The only thing holding us back is an excess in caution,” Musk said.
17:00 CT – The CFO noted that Tesla’s growth came from Megapack and Powerwall. Both continue to be production-constrained, which will hopefully be relieved by China, whose Shanghai Megafactory is producing Megapacks. Tariffs, however, are very likely, Tesla’s CFO noted.
16:58 CT – Tesla’s CFO takes the stage. He credits the Tesla team for its performance in Q4. He also discussed some milestones, such as record deliveries in the Greater China market, which is extremely competitive.
Cost reduction continues as well, despite increased depreciation and other costs as the company prepared for the new Model Y. Overall cost per car now down below $35,000.
The new Model Y will be produced in all factories supporting the vehicle starting next month. This is unprecedented in Tesla history.
He notes that Tesla is also on track to release a more affordable model in the first half of 2025, and there will be more models from there.
16:54 CT – Elon Musk predicts increased demand in energy business. That said, he does admit that Tesla always has to allocate its battery supply. “2025 is really a pivotal year for Tesla. It might be viewed as the most important year in Tesla history,” Musk said.
16:50 CT – Elon, however, admitted that he’s making insane predictions. He cautions that his predictions aren’t necessarily precise. That said, the target is to make 10,000 Optimus robots this year. Elon is confident that Tesla can produce a few thousand this year, with a goal to ramp Optimus production every year.
Optimus’ capabilities are expected to be very impressive. Musk notes that Optimus would be able to play the piano or thread a needle. That’s how precise its hands would be. “Optimus will be able to play the piano and be able to thread a needle,” Musk said.
16:48 CT – Tesla expects to launch Unsupervised FSD as a service in Austin in June. Musk noted that Tesla’s unsupervised FSD system is already working very well in the company’s factories.
“The cars aren’t just driving to the same spot. The cars are programmed to a lane” or a destination parking spot for pick up from customers. Teslas will be in the wild–with no one in them–in Austin in June,” Musk said.
16:45 CT – Musk noted that Tesla’s current constraints are battery packs for now. “Things are going to ballistic next year…and ’27, and ’28,” he said.
Musk also stated that the training needs for the Optimus robot is 10x what’s needed for a car. A humanoid robot, however, probably has 1000 more uses than a car.
“We live at this unbelievable inflection point in history,” Musk said.
16:40 CT – “I know I’ve been called the boy who cried wolf. I’m telling you, there’s a damn wolf this time. It can drive you,” Musk joked, discussing FSD and his past failed predictions about when unsupervised FSD will be ready.
He also highlighted that while FSD behaved like a neophyte driver before, it won’t be like that forever.
“The only people who are skeptical are those who haven’t tried it (FSD),” he said. He also highlighted the potential of the Tesla Network. “It works fine in the US, and of course, it will work just well anywhere else. The reality of autonomy is upon us,” Musk added.
16:38 CT – Elon takes the stage. He states that Tesla ended the year with a run rate of 2 million cars per year. The Model Y was the world’s best-selling car again in 2024. He shares an optimistic outlook on Tesla’s autonomy program.
“Autonomy is 10X-ing,” Musk said, adding that he still sees a path toward Tesla becoming the world’s most valuable company by a mile. “There’s a path to that,” he said.
Musk noted that Tesla laid the groundwork for autonomous cars and robots in 2024, and these efforts will continue in 2025. “This will set up what I think will be an epic 2026 and a ridiculously good 2027 and 2028,” Musk said.
16:34 CT – Here we go! Tesla’s IR announces that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and a number of executives are present at the call.
16:30 CT – It’s time! It won’t be surprising if Tesla starts a bit late. That being said, there will probably be quite a number of interesting discussions in this call.
Just recently, Tesla posted the first video of its FSD Unsupervised system working in the Fremont Factory. That’s a very big deal.
16:25 CT – Hello, and happy earnings day to everyone! Tesla missed some of Wall Street’s expectations, but TSLA stock seems to be doing pretty well in today’s after-hours. It’s up about 2.3% as of writing.
As always, this might be a very interesting earnings call.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Investor's Corner
Tesla’s flying Roadster just revealed something bigger than the car
Analysts say the Roadster demo puts a Tesla and SpaceX merger back on the table.
The Roadster unveiling near Waco ended Thursday night, and by Friday morning much of the investor reaction had less to do with the car than with who owns the rocket technology inside it.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the event “puts the Tesla/SpaceX relationship on the table in a tangible way,” pointing to the propulsion, pressure vessel and control hardware sitting on a Tesla product. Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management called the demo “a ridiculous display of engineering” with “no commercial value” beyond embarrassing traditional automakers, though he said it showed Musk wants the two companies together.
The more specific forecast came a day earlier from Barclays. Analyst Dan Levy told clients a deal could be announced before Tesla’s annual meeting, which must happen by December 6, and that an announcement in late October or early November could make shareholder approval harder. Barclays expects SpaceX to be the buyer in an all stock deal, with Tesla holders receiving SpaceX shares at a premium, based on market values of roughly $2.1 trillion for SpaceX and $1.5 trillion for Tesla. If nothing lands around the meeting, the bank still sees an announcement within 6 to 12 months.
The Roadster demo just added more weight to merger speculations. Tesla’s demo used cold gas thrusters and pressure tanks of the kind SpaceX uses on Falcon 9, and Musk described the car as a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers, as we mentioned in our breakdown of the three Roadster configurations.
Musk has not publicly addressed a deal since the event, as far as we have seen. His most direct answer remains the one he gave at the All In Summit, when he said that with so much collaboration, “who can imagine what action one might take” without ruling anything out. Ives has held to a 2027 timeline since his March note, and Musk pushed back on the China piece of the speculation when ARK floated a year end announcement in August.
The next test is Tesla’s third quarter earnings call on October 21. However, we recall in July that Musk told analysts, “we can’t talk about combining companies and that kind of thing on an earnings call,” so a clear answer wouldn’t be expected.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk breaks his silence on the Starlink impact to Ukraine drones
Musk says the US military and president set Starshield limits, not SpaceX, amid Ukraine complaints.
Elon Musk says the speed limit cutting out Ukraine’s military Starlink terminals is not SpaceX’s decision. In a post on X Wednesday, Musk wrote that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” He added that Starlink is a commercial service limited to civilian or defensive activities and “cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.”
He was replying to Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s former defense minister, who had thanked Musk for restoring connectivity at speeds up to 160 km/h and said removing the Starshield limit entirely is “now critical for Ukraine’s defense.”
Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.
Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2026
The complaint started Tuesday night, when Ukrainian officials said military terminals began losing service above roughly 100 mph. Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said the defense forces got no warning and several missions were disrupted, as Teslarati reported earlier Wednesday. The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps told Reuters connections dropped for 10 to 20 seconds at speeds well below the limit, which made drones harder to control. Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, asked Musk on X whether he is “playing politics with your products again.”
That is why the Starlink and Starshield distinction matters. SpaceX introduced Starshield in 2022 as the government version of Starlink, with an initial focus on Earth observation, communications and hosted payloads. It won a Space Force contract in 2023 with a $70 million ceiling. In December 2024, the Pentagon moved Ukraine’s terminals onto Starshield, covering about 3,000 units across two contracts. Ukraine’s military connections therefore run through a service that Musk now says sits under Washington’s control.
While Musk’s post describes who holds authority, it does not infer that anyone ordered the limit, and neither SpaceX nor the US government has confirmed who set it. Ukrainian officials have pointed to the timing, which follows President Trump’s push for an energy ceasefire and Musk’s Saturday post that “Zelensky has gone too far.” The BBC noted Trump denied threatening to restrict intelligence sharing with Kyiv, and no evidence has been presented that Washington requested the cap.
The episode also revives a promise from 2025. After Poland accused him of threatening Ukraine’s access, Musk said Starlink “will never turn off its terminals” and would not be used as a bargaining chip. Poland has since supplied more than 29,000 terminals to Ukraine. Teslarati also covered Kyiv’s search for Starlink alternatives in 2025, and the latest dispute gives that search new urgency.
Investor's Corner
Tesla opens the Q&A for its biggest earnings call yet
Tesla opens its Q3 earnings Q&A, and Cybercab, Robotaxi, Optimus and regulators loom over October 21.
Tesla has opened its shareholder question portal for the Q3 2026 earnings call, with the Say Q&A page already listing questions. Investors have until 4:00 p.m. EDT on October 20 to submit and vote on what management should answer.
The call is set for Wednesday, October 21. Tesla will post results after the market closes, with a live webcast at 4:30 p.m. CT, or 5:30 p.m. ET, through its investor relations site.
Say ranks questions by the number of shares behind the votes, which gives institutional holders extra weight over the retail crowd.
Ahead of Q2, retail investors asked why Robotaxi growth had stalled, when Cybercab would start customer rides, and where the Optimus Gen 3 ramp stood, while an institutional holder asked how Tesla and SpaceX would split Terafab duties. Cybercab has since answered one of those. Tesla said last week it has 300 plus Cybercabs serving Austin, up eightfold in 30 days, with Dallas named as the next city. The questions now are likely to move from when to how fast.
There is also a regulatory question hanging over the call. NHTSA has demanded sworn answers on how the pedal free Cybercab was certified against federal safety standards, with responses due October 30, nine days after the call. Whether an analyst raises it live is unknown, but it is the kind of exposure that tends to find its way into a Q&A.
The numbers will not be the main draw. Tesla already reported 486,532 deliveries and 13.7 GWh of storage for the quarter. Consensus sits around 43 to 45 cents per share on roughly $27.8 billion in revenue, according to Zacks, after a Q2 report that missed on EPS. Goldman Sachs, which holds a Neutral rating and a $360 target, argues the outlook for Robotaxi, FSD and Optimus will matter more to the stock than the quarter itself.
The call also lands six days after the rescheduled Roadster event, which Tesla will stream on X on Thursday, October 15, at 7:55 p.m. CT. If the Roadster shows up with a production date or a SpaceX thruster package, expect it to climb the voting list before the deadline.
Tesla’s flying Roadster just revealed something bigger than the car
How Tesla’s Roadster fan system and thrusters are built to dominate the corners
Tesla Roadster: Three configs, one can fly, 0-60 in 0.8 seconds
SpaceX reveals how its 1 Million AI satellite network will work and prevent space collisions
Elon Musk’s Boring Company lands a new Middle East deal, and Nashville is about to get faster
